Joint venture of city and Lincoln U. gets an A+ in education

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Roses to Lincoln University and the Coatesville Area School District for working out the final details needed to lease Gordon Elementary School inside the city as a satellite campus for the college. The school will conduct continuing education classes for local businesses, helping residents in western Chester County improve their employment skills. Also, the college will offer specific classes requested by local businesses to help their employees. The college will also offer degree programs in business and the hospitality industries. Students, faculty and family members who live inside the Coatesville Area School District will receive a 10 percent discount on courses for degree programs. The school district is providing a $1 a year lease to the building for three years. This is a good deal all around to increase educational opportunities in the region and the city. The City of Coatesville, especially, needs to develop educational opportunities to develop new business opportunities in the years ahead. City residents should not hope that regional opportunities for employment alone with guarantee the economic health of their community. More, much more, needs to be done. Access to education is one element of such a program.

+Thorns to the majority of the Owen J. Roberts School Board for ignoring the suggestion of some board members to compare costs of legal counsel before automatically approving the solicitors for next year in the annual reorganization. Board member William LaCoff noted that the board had agreed last year to put out requests for proposals from law firms in order to compare costs and services provided. However, no RFPs had been sent out, and no additional firms -- other than the three who had been appointed last year -- had been considered by the board, he said. The board voted 8-1 to reappoint three legal firms with LaCoff voting against. He stressed that his opposition was not a reflection on the law firms hired by the district, but rather “my protest vote was in the process, not the people involved.” We agree. Retaining the same firms year after year can be a positive, but even more positive is taking the time to be sure before spending taxpayers’ money. ----

+Thorns to the recent defections of local municipalities from the Northern Federation of Chester County Communities, one of the first and most exemplary of groups to demonstate regional cooperation. Three towns have pulled back from the organization to some extent in the last six months. The “Northern Fed,” as it is sometimes known, was first formed in 1974 and has an impressive track record, said Charles Jacob, the federation chairman and also chairman of the Warwick Township Supervisors. East Nantmeal withdrew in July, and East Vincent recently dropped out. South Coventry voted to pull back its involvement. The reasons seem to center on fears of a sports complex, although there is no active pursuit of that plan at this time. As with all groups, members sometimes become disgruntled over rumors or unfounded concerns. As strong supporters of regionalization in all levels of municipal government, we find that the greater good is not served by townships dropping out. Instead, regionalization should involve working through concerns.